After the loss to Duran, Sugar Ray and his wife Juanita took a vacation to Hawaii to relax after the tough fight. It was Ray’s first loss as a professional, and the pounding he took and the sting of losing to someone he disliked so much hurt. Leonard admitted that after a few days in […]

The year of 1980 began with Muhammad Ali talking comeback and with Sugar Ray Leonard the newly crowned WBC welterweight champion of the world. Ali had been the face of boxing for more than 15 years, and was probably the most famous person on the planet. His good looks and gift of gab made him

I went to Dallas, Texas for a month in June of 1980 for a residence airline training program I was in. That same month, Sugar Ray Leonard was set to fight Roberto Duran at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada on Friday June 20th. Since I didn’t have a credit card and couldn’t rent a car,

Thomas Hearns was the other up and coming welterweight on the scene in 1980. The 6 foot 1 inch fighter from Detroit had been managed by Emanuel Steward, and fought out of the Kronk Gym. Thomas could box and was very successful doing that as an amateur, but as a professional most of his fights

After his TKO win in November of 1979 over Wildredo Benitez, Sugar Ray Leonard was in the public eye more and more. With Ali talking of retirement but long past prime, the good looking talented welterweight from Palmer Park, Maryland fit the role of boxing`s new face perfectly Leonard’s next opponent was Davey Boy Green

Larry Holmes had made 2 lackluster title defenses in early 1980, and Ali started to talk more and more. Ali was still a huge name, and the most popular fighter on the planet, even after 18 months in retirement. Larry had been his sparring partner for years, and had handled Ali in the ring on

Muhammad Ali had announced his retirement from boxing in mid 1979. Larry Holmes had emerged as his predecessor in the period after, but lacked Ali`s charisma and charm. For whatever the reason, Ali was talking comeback in early 1980. He had ballooned to over 250 lbs., and was enjoying retirement since his decision win over

Sugar Ray Leonard was the darling of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. As more of a baseball fan than boxing fan, I admired his talent, but the memories of his gold medal winning performance faded as summer turned to fall. Leonard had wanted to retire from boxing and attend the University of Maryland in

Larry Holmes was entering the year of 1979 as the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. The heavyweight from Easton, Pa. had been a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali for years, and had made a successful title defense against Alfredo Evangelista in November. He was gaining acceptance as a good boxer, but was heavily in

September 15th, 1978 was the next big heavyweight bout on the calendar that year. Muhammad Ali was attempting to recapture the championship belt he had lost to novice Leon Spinks in February. I had watched Ali`s fights on tv for years, but this was the first time I really looked forward to one. He was